QatarAt the top of the group is defending champion Saudi Arabia at the U23 Asian Championship, but Iraq still makes many people skeptical about its strength because it lost to Thailand.
Although not as highly rated as Saudi Arabia, Iraq is still a difficult opponent for Vietnam in the U23 Asian quarterfinals today. Although many stars were retained by their host clubs, Iraq still came to the tournament with six players playing abroad. They also have six national players in their squad, namely Amin Al-Hamawi, Blnd Hassan and Muntadher Mohammed, Zaid Tahseen, Mustafa Saadoun and Ali Jasim.
Is Iraq stronger than Vietnam?
Assessing Iraq’s strength at U23 Asia.
The loss to Thailand made Radhi Shenaishil and his team wake up and show sharp football in the last two matches. They are one of the three best attacking teams in the group stage, scoring six goals in three matches, only behind Saudi Arabia and Uzbekistan. Iraq also hit the goal 16 times, the third most in the group stage. Iraq’s conversion rate of opportunities into goals is up to 37.5%.
Among Iraq’s attacking stars, Ali Jassim is the name U23 Vietnam needs to be especially wary of, having contributed two goals and had the most shots on goal in the group stage, with six. Player number 7 is rich in speed and technique, and is the biggest changemaker on the Iraqi side.
The strength of Iraq U23’s playing style also lies in their ability to fight in the air, as they have an average height of 179.8 cm, among the top 5 teams with the best physiques. U23 Vietnam is only 176.2 cm tall on average, the third lowest in the tournament.
If attack is Iraq’s strong point, then defense seems to be the weakness with five goals conceded, the most among teams participating in the quarterfinals.
Iraq’s performance at tournaments is quite good, as they won the championship in 2013, the first time the Asian U23 playground was held. Iraqi football also made it to the Rio Olympics when it ranked third in U23 Asia 2016. However, Iraq once lost to Vietnam in U23 Asia, also in the quarterfinals, in 2018 – Vietnam’s historic year with its victory. runner-up in Changzhou.
This year, Iraq is still considered stronger than Vietnam, but Hoang Anh Tuan and his team have the right to hope for a surprise. When the optimal cards are back, Vietnam’s strongest squad needs to limit mistakes and make good use of opportunities, to win and continue writing the OIympic dream.
Vy Anh
